I saw a news report that something like 6 of the 14 senators currently refusing to return to Wisconsin are facing recalls. Funny thing, the organization pushing for the recall was out of Utah. Why, prey tell, does anyone in Utah give a hoot about a senator from Wisconsin?

Local governments are saying that they do not want this bill passed and that outlawing collective bargaining would make the situation worse. Here is a statement from Eau Claire. I guess Walker just knows better than the local governments across Wisconsin because his strategy worked so well when he was running Milwaukee into the ground.

Can a Walker supporter please convince why it is a good idea to sell off state owned power plants to whomever Walker wants, without taking any bids to get the highest price possible!? I mean, I can understand privatizing them, but no bids? Walker and his GOP buddies get to just pick and choose who to sell them to? Talk about a situation ripe for corruption. Really, please, I would like to hear a Walker supporter get behind this.

Passing on a comment from a friend that doesn't want to get involved. I think they're probably right.

Yes its a budget issue but I'm thinking bigger. It's about killing one of the largest financial contributors to the DNC. Think it's a coincidence that this is happening in a swing state before the next election? Isn't Ohio the biggest swing state? Wonder why it's going to happen there too. Duh. Come on. Wake up people.

Budget / public employee benefits is a nice way to distract from that and get people all worked up. Genius actually. That's how you know it didn't come from Walker.

If you listen to Walker, you would think that all the protestors are from out of state and they should mind their own business. First of all, that is hardly the truth. Sure, some protestors are from out of state, but isn't that their right as citizens of the U.S.? Secondly, many of the tea party protestors who showed up last Saturday were from out of state. I believe some were even bused in from Virginia, which might explain why they only lasted 2 or the 3 hours they were planning on protesting. They couldn't handle the Wisconsin winter weather. Lastly, in an article today in the Milwaukee State Journal, it is pointed out that "the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says gubernatorial candidate Walker received at least $462,346 in individual campaign donations from out-of-state agitators - er, contributors - since January 2009". And that does not include contributions from PACs outside Wisconsin. WOW, hypocrisy at it's finest. Walker is once again showing that he is an embarrassment for the people of Wisconsin.

It's amazing that so many of the posts here are more than eager to see public employees contribute more for their health benefits (and the Tomahawk School District employees, if my info is correct, already contribute 15% toward their health care - 2-1/2% more than Walker is asking for) but nobody has a problem with the $100+ million in tax breaks to the corporations that the newly Republic controlled legislators and governor gave out in January without any way to fund them except on the backs of the state workers. And this bill contains a whole lot more. Did you read the headline in the Wausau Herald today about the metro bus system possibly having to shut down - one of many state-wide? Or the fact that the purchase of energy products for the state will no longer be done on a bid basis - but left up to the discretion of the governor? Gee and the Kock brothers, who now have an office in Madison, just happen to make some of the $43 billion in oil interests! And the gutting of Badger care and Senior care? Probably the greatest Civics lessons in the country was taught to the students and teachers who protested tyranny from a man - who after he has been given the concessions he asked for to solve the financial crisis, adamantly denies any kind of negotiations on collective bargaining rights. It's sad to watch WI heading toward a dictatorship.

• Cuts off all State aid to University Wisconsin Schools “This will cause the tuition at UW's to go up 26% over the next two years” Page 135 – 136 Section 9211

• The state will lose 46 million in Federal Grants to Public Transit. “The federal government requires that public transit workers have collective bargaining.”Page 63 – 109 Sections 163- 314

• Allows the State to take 28 million from Employee Trust Fund, “This is the State Employee's Pension Fund, they will use the money to pay the States portion of State Employee's Medical and Pension contributions until 2013” Page 125, Section 9115

• In 2013 the State will no longer pay anything towards State Employee's Medical and Pension Fund, State Employee's will be required to pay the entire cost of Medical and Pension. “Roughly about $1500 per month for each State Employee.Page 58 Section 62.623

• Limits the right to collectively bargain for all employees who are not public safety employees (general employees) to the subject of base wages. Page 63 – 109 Sections 163- 314

Apparently it is more believable if someone in the media or a blogger writes it than if you have your own opinion.

I learned long ago to believe half of what I see and none of what I read. If it is written, it is just someone else’s interpretation of the facts or their opinion and just like other things, everyone has one.

The National Institutes of Health has just released the results of a $200 million research study completed under a grant to Johns Hopkins.The new study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it.

"As a state economist and policy analyst, I was surprised that no one asked me about this proposal. I analyzed it for its economic impact. If public employee salaries are cut (through increased withholdings as proposed) by enough to fill the $137 million budget gap, the resulting drop in consumer spending will lead to: 1) a loss of over 1,200 nongovernment jobs; 2) a loss of about $100 million in business sales statewide; 3) a loss of nearly $35 million in personal incomes of nongovernment employee households; 4) ironically, a loss of nearly $10 million in state tax revenues." -- Robert Russell, economist and analyst, Madison.

Just want to thank you for your well-researched and informative posts, Kerry. Too bad Tom Tiffany hasn't read them or he might be able to intelligently respond to his constiuents with something more substantative than "Thank you for you letter"!

I do need to make an apology. Apparently an earlier version of the bill was being passed around and that is what I cited. It was an early version of the actual bill, however. It was not propaganda. I did not realize it was not the bill that is currently "on the table." Some things I cited have been changed and are no longer accurate. If you look for the bill make sure you look for the one that is dated February 14, 2011.

This does not change my outrage at how this bill has been presented. I believe it targets certain individuals and our governor is trying to fix a problem on the backs of public workers. This does not change my opinion of Governor Walker. I am appalled he will take a call from someone he believes to be an out-of-state billionaire with special interests in Wisconsin, but will not sit down and negotiate and bargain with his constituents. This doesn't change my opinion that all of this is about union busting and not the budget. I still believe that Doyle left office with a balanced budget and if Walker hadn't given massive tax breaks to big business, we wouldn't be in this mess.

I haven`t heard about the restraing order.BUTI did hear the authorities want question him about ADMITTING to thinking about bringing in people to cause trouble during the protests. He said he thought about hiring people to make a disruption in his tape recorded phone call to who he thought was that Koch guy!

"Koch: We’ll back you any way we can. What we were thinking about the crowd was, uh, was planting some troublemakers.

Walker: You know, well, the only problem with that —because we thought about that."'"Koch: [Laughs] Well, I tell you what, Scott: once you crush these bastards I’ll fly you out to Cali and really show you a good time.

Walker: All right, that would be outstanding."'

'''

' So there you have it. Government isn’t for the people. It’s for the people with money. You want to be heard? You want to collectively bargain? You can’t afford a seat at the table. You may have built that table. But it’s not yours. It belongs to the Kochs and the oligarch class. It’s guarded by Republicans like Walker, and his Democratic counterparts across that ever-narrowing aisle that is corporate rule, so that the ever-widening gap between the haves and the have-nots can swallow all the power in the world. These are known knowns, and now we just know them a little more.

For someone who was there in Madison, asserting her first amendment rights, it makes me irate that our governor would consider "planting troublemakers." It was a wonderful day with no violence at all. This call proves that this man is not fit to govern our wonderful state. Even if it's not illegal, even if the ethics committee find no violations on Walker's part, it's just plain wrong!!! Anyone who can't see that better get their head out of the sand. It's going to take a long time for Wisconsin to recover from Walker's rule.